We all know that stress and depression can take a physical toll on the body.

But a new study has just found that people over 65 who experienced "psychosocial distress" had a much higher chance of dying from a stroke.

That's awful!

The study's author said:

"People should be aware that stress and negative emotions often increase with age. Family members and caregivers need to recognize these emotions have a profound effect on health."

With "psychosocial distress" encompassing basically anything from depression and stress to a generally negative outlook on life, it seems many people are at risk.

Race or gender, which often change the statistics when looking at an illness, didn't actually change the odds.

So it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like. If you're stressed, you're at risk.

A doctor not involved in the study said:

"It may just be that you don't take care of yourself when you're under a lot of stress and don't eat well, you smoke more. But at the same time, there could be some kind of hormonal, metabolic changes in the body that are brought on by stress that put you at a higher risk for stroke."

Regardless of the reason why exactly, stress is just plain bad.

If you're stressed out or generally unhappy, maybe it's time to take up meditation or yoga or exercising or something!